1. Field of the Disclosure
The present disclosure relates generally to image forming devices and more particularly to magnetic sensor positioning by a replaceable unit of an electrophotographic image forming device.
2. Description of the Related Art
During the electrophotographic printing process, an electrically charged rotating photoconductive drum is selectively exposed to a laser beam. The areas of the photoconductive drum exposed to the laser beam are discharged creating an electrostatic latent image of a page to be printed on the photoconductive drum. Toner particles are then electrostatically picked up by the latent image on the photoconductive drum creating a toned image on the drum. The toned image is transferred to the print media (e.g., paper) either directly by the photoconductive drum or indirectly by an intermediate transfer member. The toner is then fused to the media using heat and pressure to complete the print.
The image forming device's toner supply is typically stored in one or more replaceable units that have a shorter lifespan than the image forming device. It is desired to communicate various characteristics of the replaceable unit(s) to the image forming device for proper operation. For example, as these replaceable units run out of toner, the units must be replaced or refilled in order to continue printing. As a result, it may be desired to communicate the amount of toner remaining in the replaceable unit(s) to the image forming device in order to warn the user that the replaceable unit is near an empty state or to prevent printing after the unit is empty in order to prevent damage to the image forming device. It may be desired to communicate other characteristics of the replaceable unit(s) to the image forming device such as toner type, toner color, toner capacity, replaceable unit serial number, replaceable unit type, etc.